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Thank U, Next
| alt = | released = | recorded = October–December 2018 | studio = | genre = | length = 41:11 | label = Republic | producer = * Ariana Grande (exec.) * Scooter Braun (exec.) * Charles Anderson * Brian Baptiste * Tommy Brown * Michael Foster * Ilya * Max Martin * NOVA Wav * Happy Perez * Pop Wansel | prev_title = Sweetener | prev_year = 2018 | next_title = | next_year = | misc = }} Thank U, Next (stylized in all lowercase) is the fifth studio album by American singer Ariana Grande, released on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. Following the release of her previous studio album ''Sweetener'' (2018), Grande began working on a new album in October of the same year, enlisting writers and producers such as Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Andrew "Pop" Wansel. The album was created in the midst of personal matters, including the death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and her break-up with fiancé Pete Davidson. The title track was released as the album's lead single on November 3, 2018, peaking atop the charts of 12 countries and becoming Grande's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The track also broke a string of records, including the record for the most plays in a single day by a female artist on Spotify. Its second single, "7 Rings", was released on January 18, 2019, peaking at number one in 15 countries and making Grande the third female artist to have two or more songs debuting atop the Hot 100. "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" was released as the third single on the day of the album's release. The track's debut atop of the UK Singles Chart made Grande the first female artist to replace herself at number one on the chart, dethroning her previous single. In support of both Sweetener and Thank U, Next, Grande embarked on the Sweetener World Tour, beginning on March 18, 2019. Upon its release, Thank U, Next received universal acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised the cohesiveness and production of the album. It was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. Commercially, the album peaked atop the charts of many countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the latter, the album broke the record for the largest streaming week for a pop album, debuting with 360,000 album-equivalent units. Background In September 2018, Grande's ex-boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller, died from a drug overdose. The following month, Grande announced that she would take a break from music. That same month, however, Grande revealed that she had been in the studio working on new music, and she announced the Sweetener World Tour (2019). She stated that the tour would support both her fourth studio album, ''Sweetener'' (2018), and her upcoming fifth studio album. Later in October 2018, Grande broke off her engagement with comedian Pete Davidson. Recording and production in New York City served as the album's main recording location.]] Grande started recording the album in October 2018, less than two months after the release of her previous album Sweetener. It was mainly recorded at Jungle City Studios in New York City, with additional recording locations including Right Track Studios in the same city, MXM and Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, The Record Plant in Hollywood, California, Wolf Cousins Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and Entirety Studios in London, England. Grande opted to work with producers and songwriters she was already friends with, stating the decision "kind of saved my life. It was kind of this super challenging chapter that sucked, and then my friends made it amazing and special." Tommy Brown produced the most tracks with five, and collaborated on production with Charles Anderson and Michael Foster of Social House on two of them. Meanwhile, Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh produced four tracks together. Songwriter Victoria Monét said that Grande and her team worked quickly, writing and recording "nine songs or so" after one week. Unlike her previous albums, most recording sessions were finished after just two weeks. Grande's team always had champagne in the studio, notably Veuve Clicquot, as later referenced in her collaboration with Monét, "Monopoly". Monét co-wrote six of the albums songs, including "Ghostin" which was the first song written for the album and took the longest to write. Grande described it as the hardest song to write for the album and initially requested the song not be included on the final tracklisting. Composition Music and lyrics }} |align = right |width = 35% |border = 1px |fontsize = 88% }} Thank U, Next consists of pop, R&B and trap songs with many influences of hip hop on its beats and productions. It explores a diversity of other music genres, including dancehall, soul, pop-rap and many urban influences. Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone stated the album "Thank U, Next is just a woman and a mood, taking that mood out for a drive until she pedal-to-the-metals it right off a cliff." In an interview with Zach Sang she said: "We walked to the studio everyday, and just made music and it turned everything around in my life. It sounds very corny but it was like, the most beautiful." Songs and lyrical content (pictured in 2018) has an uncredited feature on the third track "NASA".]] The album begins with the song "Imagine", an R&B ballad with a trap-inspired rhythm. The song features multiple whistle notes, and its lyrics speak about Grande's denial of failed relationships. Mathew Rodriguez from Out mentioned that the song "does the double duty of being both a great song and a great introduction." The next track "Needy" is a mid-tempo minimalistic song with a metronome-like synth in the foreground. Its lyrics are about Grande's insecurities in relationships. "NASA," named after the U.S. space agency of the same name, is a "bouncy-R&B tune." The track features a spoken introduction by Shangela, an American drag queen. She says, "One small step for woman, one giant leap for womankind", a variation on Neil Armstrong's quote, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Carolyn Bernucca of Complex said, "The standout track, 'NASA,' is punctuated by thumping bass and trap drums that have made their way from Atlanta all the way into mainstream pop." The fourth track is "Bloodline." It is a reggae-pop song with R&B influences that contains brassy horns and a pounding bass. It has been compared to Grande's 2016 single "Side to Side" and "Greedy" from her third studio album, Dangerous Woman. The song features a sound bite from Marjorie Grande, Grande's grandmother, in which she is talking about a hearing aid. The Guardian wrote that the song "posits the idea that maybe it’s best to just see how things go relationship-wise and getting engaged after a few months isn’t essential", believing that this song is about Pete Davidson. (pictured in 2017) co-wrote most of the songs on the album.]] The fifth track of the record is "Fake Smile", a hip hop soul-inspired track with a trap groove. It features a Wendy Rene sample (as featured in tracks previously by Metro Boomin and Wu-Tang Clan). Lyrically, the song is about the attack on her concert in Manchester and the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller, and the emotional toll that these events inflicted upon her. Chloe Crookshanks from Medium stated that the song is "Weaved in with some funky muted bass, she states candidly her understandable disdain for putting on a show (“fuck a fake smile”). "Bad Idea" is an EDM and trap number, beginning with a 80's rock-ballad intro that garnered comparison to David Guetta's 2012 hit single "Titanium" featuring Sia. With an orchestra throughout the bridge and outro, its lyrics are about Grande's desire to numb her pain. The seventh track "Make Up" is Grande's most sexually explicit song on the album, featuring many double entendres. It is a trap record with wonky pop and bubblegum influences and it contains a "rap-influenced bridge". A Bit Of Pop Music wrote, "she wants to fight with her partner only so they can make up later, while also wanting him to ruin her make up." "Ghostin", the eighth track, is an emotional synth-and-strings ballad. Lyrically, it discusses Grande's last two relationships, stating that "she should ghost the guy that still makes her cry and wants to stop hurting the person she is with now while he is being patient with her," being Miller and Davidson. Savan Kotecha, who co-wrote the song with Grande, told Rolling Stone of working on the track: "we were writing 'Ghostin,' we were in New York... The song speaks for itself in terms of what it's about. We were with her for a week in New York witnessing that, witnessing her feelings on that." NME stated that it was "One of the record’s most talked-about tracks" and also "one of the album’s most devastating moments." According to Grande, she "begged" her manager, Scooter Braun, to remove the track from the album, but he convinced her to keep it. The ninth track "In My Head" begins with an excerpt of a voicemail from by Grande's close friend Doug Middlebrook. It is a trap-pop hybrid with many R&B influences. Medium said that "Grande addresses her failure to see people for who they truly are." "7 Rings," the tenth track, is a trap-pop and R&B song. It features a heavy bass and sees Grande discuss "how global success has allowed her to enjoy the finer things". ''Billboard'' magazine noted it's "the most hip-hop-leaning song Grande has released in the post-''Sweetener'' era yet, with Grande almost rapping the song's verses". The album's lead single, "Thank U, Next" is the eleventh track on the album. A self-empowerment pop and R&B song with elements of synth-pop, its lyrics discuss many of Grande's past relationships. Grande explained in an interview that "thank u, next..." is a phrase that she and fellow singer/songwriter Victoria Monét use. Markos Papadatos from Digital Journal said the song is an "ode to gratitude, an anthem to a fresh start and new beginnings, where she is not afraid to be raw and vulnerable; Grande's vulnerability is the listener's reward." He also said the song is "sultry, cathartic and expressive" and praised Grande's breathy vocals as "pristine and heavenly, and it is evident the pop throne is still hers. 'thank u, next' garners an A rating." The final track "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" is a trap-pop and R&B song. It was said to be Grande's most eye-catching song from the album. The track replaced "Remember", a song previously planned to be on the album, but was too personal for Grande to release. It samples "It Makes Me Ill" by NSYNC in the bridge. Medium states that "Ariana's to lift the energy, injecting a sense of sensuality, playfulness and questionable behaviour." Release and promotion Thank U, Next was released worldwide on February 8, 2019, by Republic Records. The album cover art, shot by Alfredo Flores, shows Grande laying upside-down on the floor with the album title painted on her neck. The digital edition cover features a pink border, whilst the physical edition features a black border. The title of the album was named after a phrase Grande and her friend Victoria Monét repeatedly use. Tour On October 25, 2018, Grande officially announced the Sweetener World Tour, in promotion of both Thank U, Next and ''Sweetener'' (2018). The tour began on March 18, 2019, with the first leg consisting of 53 shows across North America. The second leg is set to begin on August 17, 2019, consisting of 28 shows across Europe. Normani and Social House were announced as the opening acts for the North American dates of the tour. Singles The title track was released as the lead single from the album on November 3, 2018 without prior announcements. Commercially, the single was a massive success, peaking at number-one of the charts of 12 countries and breaking a string of records, including the record for the most plays in a single day by a female artist on Spotify. The song also became Grande's first number-one single on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. She performed the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 7. Its accompanying music video was released on November 30, which broke the records for both the most-watched music video in YouTube within 24 hours and the fastest Vevo video to reach 100 million views on YouTube. "7 Rings" was released as the second single on January 18, 2019. The track was also commercially successful, peaking atop of the charts of 15 countries, including the US, debuting atop of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making Grande the third female artist to have two or more songs debuting at the top slot of the Hot 100. This also made Grande the third artist in history to have an album with two songs that debuted at number one on the Hot 100, after Drake's Scorpion in 2018 and Mariah Carey's Daydream in 1995. "7 Rings" also broke the record for the most streamed song in 24 hours on Spotify, receiving 14.9 million streams globally. It received generally mixed reviews from music critics, and was the center of plagiarism accusations from multiple artists. "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" was released as the third single on February 8, 2019, the same day the album was released. The song debuted atop of the charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In the latter, Grande became the first female artist to replace herself at number one on the chart, and joined only three other artists in having three chart-topping singles in under 100 days. As the track became her fifth number-one single in Ireland, Grande now also holds the record for the most number ones in the 2010s decade on the chart, alongside Rihanna. "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Grande's 13th top ten single on the chart. With this single at number two, "7 Rings" at number one and "Thank U, Next" at number three, Grande became the first artist to monopolize the top three on the chart since The Beatles in 1964. Promotional single "Imagine" was released as the album's promotional single on December 14, 2018. Grande performed the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 18. Critical reception | MC = 86/100 | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = The A.V. Club | rev2score = A− | rev3 = The Daily Telegraph | rev3score = | rev4 = Entertainment Weekly | rev4score = B+ | rev5 = The Guardian | rev5score = | rev6 = The Independent | rev6score = | rev7 = The Irish Times | rev7score = | rev8 = NME | rev8score = | rev9 = Pitchfork | rev9score = 7.9/10 | rev10 = Rolling Stone | rev10score = }} Thank U, Next received widespread acclaim from music critics, with many praising the cohesiveness and production of the album. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Thank U, Next has an average score of 86 based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone stated that Thank U, Next is "one of the year's best pop albums so far, even in a 2019 that's already turning out to be a great one for new music. Thank U, Next makes you suspect that the best Ariana is yet to come." Ross Horton from The Line of Best Fit praised both the songwriting and production of the album, stating that it is an "airtight, dense pop record with an obnoxiously brash production" and commenting that "even the most delicate, sensual things here are tightly compressed and scrubbed of anything resembling acoustics." AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine also gave the album a positive review, commenting that "Grande is swaggering with ... confidence" and concluding that the album "embodies every aspect of Ariana Grande, the grand pop star." Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times said, "Thank U, Next flaunts Grande's emotional healing; it's suffused with the joy of discovering that what didn't kill her really did make her stronger." Michael Cragg of The Guardian commented that Thank U, Next seems to be a "result of a burst of creativity and a prevailing mood", yet criticized "7 Rings" as a "braggadocious, ice-cold low point" of the album. He concluded positively, stating that Grande is a "pop star ... finally working out who they are and what they want to say" and compared the album to Rihanna's ''Anti''. Helen Brown from The Independent stated that that Grande is "embracing her inner mean girl (on the sexy "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored") and owning her flaws and contradictions" on tracks such as "Needy" and "NASA", yet concluded that the album lacks enough "vocal grit". Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine awarded the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, believing that the album "is easily Grande's most sonically consistent effort to date". He criticized that "some of the ... tracks tend to blur together", but ultimately concluded in saying that Grande's "refusal to fake a smile that proves to be what makes her so damn likeable." In a capsule review for Vice, Robert Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention ( ) and summed it up as Grande's "maturing from multitracked studio trickeration to straight love songs—love songs an old grouch might complain are all too superstar-specific"; the title track and "Ghostin'" were cited as highlights. Accolades Commercial performance In the United States, Thank U, Next debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 with 360,000 album-equivalent units, of which 116,000 were pure album sales. The album became Grande's fourth number-one album in the country, and broke the record for the largest streaming week ever for a pop album. On the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, issue dated February 20, all twelve songs from Thank U, Next appeared simultaneously. Eleven of these songs appeared in the top 40, breaking the record for the most simultaneous top 40 songs by a female artist. Thank U, Next would spend a second week at number one selling 151,000 units. It is Grande's first album to spend two weeks at number one on the Billboard 200. The album has also spent four months in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart. In the United Kingdom, Thank U, Next debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 65,000 album-equivalent units. The album became Grande's third number-one on the chart and marked her largest album opening week to date there. Earning 59 million streams, Thank U, Next set a new record for most album streams ever by a female artist in a week in the country, beating her previous album, Sweetener (2018). Following its release, "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, replacing "7 Rings", with the latter returning to number one the following week, making Grande the first female solo artist since Madonna in 1985 to simultaneously hold the number one and two spots on the UK Singles Chart and the first musical artist to replace herself twice consecutively at number one in UK chart history. Also, ”Needy” peaked at number eight on the chart. In Ireland, the album also became Grande's third number one on the Irish Albums Chart, outselling the rest of the top five combined with nearly 5,389 units (according to Official Charts Company). Upon its release, Thank U, Next became the only female album this decade to feature three Irish number-one singles. Following the success of the album, Sweetener (2018) arose three places to number 8, and Dangerous Woman (2016) re-entered the top fifty at number 43. In June, the album is the 3rd biggest-selling album of the year (1st for streamed albums and 46th for vinyl albums) with more than 5,889 combined sales In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the Australian Albums Chart, becoming Grande's fourth number one in the territory. All twelve album tracks also appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart, including nine debuts. Track listing | extra1 = | length1 = 3:32 | title2 = Needy | writer2 = | extra2 = Brown | length2 = 2:51 | title3 = NASA | writer3 = | extra3 = | length3 = 3:02 | title4 = Bloodline | writer4 = | extra4 = | length4 = 3:36 | title5 = Fake Smile | writer5 = | extra5 = | length5 = 3:28 | title6 = Bad Idea | writer6 = | extra6 = | length6 = 4:27 | title7 = Make Up | writer7 = | extra7 = | length7 = 2:20 | title8 = Ghostin | writer8 = | extra8 = | length8 = 4:31 | title9 = In My Head | writer9 = | extra9 = }} | length9 = 3:42 | title10 = 7 Rings | writer10 = | extra10 = | length10 = 2:58 | title11 = Thank U, Next | writer11 = | extra11 = | length11 = 3:27 | title12 = Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored | writer12 = | extra12 = | length12 = 3:10 }} | extra_column = Producer(s) | total_length = 46:47 | collapsed = yes | title13 = 7 Rings (Remix) | note13 = featuring 2 Chainz | writer13 = | extra13 = | length13 = 2:58 | title14 = Monopoly | note14 = with Victoria Monét | writer14 = | extra14 = }} | length14 = 2:38 | all_writing = | title1 = | length1 = | title2 = | length2 = | title3 = | length3 = | title4 = | length4 = | title5 = | length5 = | title6 = | length6 = | title7 = | length7 = | title8 = | length8 = | title9 = | length9 = | title10 = | length10 = | title11 = | length11 = | title12 = | length12 = | title15 = | length15 = | title16 = | length16 = | title17 = | length17 = | title18 = | length18 = | title19 = | length19 = | title20 = | length20 = }} | total_length = 11:58 | collapsed = yes | title1 = Thank U, Next | note1 = music video | length1 = 5:30 | title2 = 7 Rings | note2 = music video | length2 = 3:04 | title3 = Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored | note3 = music video | length3 = 3:24 }} Notes * }} signifies a co-producer *All track titles are stylized in all lowercase, except "NASA" and "Monopoly", which are stylized in all caps. Samples *"Fake Smile" contains a sample of "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" by Wendy Rene, written by Joseph W. Frierson and Mary Lou Frierson. *"7 Rings" interpolates portions of "My Favorite Things", written by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. *"Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored" contains an interpolation of "It Makes Me Ill" by NSYNC. Personnel Credits adapted from Tidal and the album's liner notes. Vocals * Ariana Grande – primary artist * Victoria Monét – background vocals * Tayla Parx – background vocals * Marjorie Grande – background vocals * Doug Middlebrook – background vocals * Shangela Laquifa Wadley – uncredited vocals Instrumentation * Happy Perez – guitar , keyboards * Pop Wansel – keyboards * Peter Lee Johnson – strings * Wojtek Bylund – alto saxophone * Ilya Salmanzadeh – bass , drums , guitar , keyboards , string arrangement * Janne Bjerger – trumpet * Max Martin – bass , drums , guitar , keyboards , string arrangement * Mattias Bylund – horns arrangement , strings , string arrangement , violin * Magnus Johannson – trumpet * Peter Noos Johannson – trombone * Tomas Johannson – tenor saxophone * JProof – keyboards * David Bukovinszky – cello * Alexander West – guitar * Larrance Dopson – guitar * Mattias Johannson – violin Production * Ariana Grande – executive production, vocal production * Scooter Braun – executive production * Happy Perez – production * Pop Wansel – production * Tommy Brown – production * Charles Anderson – production * Max Martin – production , vocal production * Ilya Salmanzadeh – production , vocal production * Brian Baptiste – production * Michael Foster – production * Victoria Monét – vocal production * Tayla Parx – vocal production * NOVA Wav – co-production * Andrew Luftman – production coordination * Sarah Shelton – production coordination * Zvi Edelman – production coordination Technical * Happy Perez – programming * Pop Wansel – programming * Tommy Brown – programming * Charles Anderson – programming * Ilya Salmanzadeh – programming * Max Martin – programming * Michael Foster – programming * John Hanes – mixing , mixing assistance * Serban Ghenea – mixing * Billy Hickey – engineering * Sam Holland – engineering * Brendan Morawski – recording , engineering * Joe Gallagher – recording , engineering * Sean Klein – recording assistance , remix engineering assistance * Jeremy Lertola – recording assistance * Cory Bice – recording assistance Charts Weekly charts Monthly charts Decade-end charts Certifications }} }} Release history See also * [[List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2019|List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2019]] * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Australia) * List of number-one hits of 2019 (Austria) * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Belgium) * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Canada) * List of number-one albums from the 2010s (Denmark) * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Ireland) * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Mexico) * List of number-one albums from the 2010s (New Zealand) * List of number-one albums in Norway * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Scotland) * List of number-one albums of 2019 (Sweden) * List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s * List of UK Album Downloads Chart number ones of the 2010s References Category:2019 albums Category:Ariana Grande albums Category:Contemporary R&B albums by American artists Category:Pop albums by American artists Category:Republic Records albums